Geneva Windsor "Mauga" Heath

Geneva Windsor Heath or “Mauga”, as she was lovingly known to her 9 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, went peacefully to be with the Lord surrounded by her loved ones in her Asheville home on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Her 83 years on God’s earth were a testament to and a lived expression of Jesus’ faithfulness and everlasting and unconditional love.

When she wasn’t sending heartfelt cards with personalized scripture or utilizing her enormous power as a prayer warrior, Geneva expressed her deep and generous love for others from her kitchen. Famous for her homemade mac and cheese and bribe-worthy meatloaf, chicken pot pie, and pot roast, she always had room for one more at her table — or at her party-ready collection of card tables and vintage tablecloths, which spilled from kitchen to dining room to living spaces and beyond — and always had an abundance of food to go around. While she would dismiss her scratch-prepared family feasts as “simple country cooking,” the food coming out of Mauga’s kitchen tasted like home to all lucky enough to enjoy it.

Geneva was the queen of the Saturday morning yard sale and never met a Goodwill she didn’t like. She was renowned for teaching her children and grandchildren the art of the bargain and the quiet satisfaction of a great find.

Geneva put herself through nursing school as a single mother before meeting the love of her life, JL Heath, and joining their families in 1984. Married for 37 years, Geneva and JL were quite the duo, and their Oakley home was the heart of countless family and community celebrations. Every Wednesday evening for 20 years, Geneva and JL could be found working side by side to prepare community supper in the church kitchen, and on Sunday mornings, teaching Sunday school at Merrimon Avenue Baptist Church.

Geneva enjoyed a brief stint ministering to children as the kindest clown you’ve ever met, with a bright red wig and face paint that would rival professionals. She worked at St. Joseph’s and then Mission Hospital for 38 years as an OR nurse, exemplifying the best qualities of nurses: love, generosity of spirit, and heartfelt care.

Geneva was a steadfast regular at Heartpath Cardiac Rehab where she built a large, loving, and supportive community.

Geneva made people feel welcomed, prayed for, fed, celebrated, and loved. Whether through a handwritten card, a home-cooked meal, a bargain found with someone in mind, or a prayer offered faithfully and often, she had a gift for making ordinary moments feel like expressions of God’s love. Her generosity of spirit and ability to accept and love all of God’s children will be her lasting legacy.

She is joyfully joining in heaven her beloved husband, John Leighton “JL” Heath, her parents, Raymond Mont Wyatt and Elizabeth Rich Wyatt, her brother, Charles Wyatt, her sisters, Anna Belle Silver and Glenada Wyatt, her cousin, Shirley Harrell and her great-granddaughter, Adelaide Amelia Western.

Geneva is survived by her children, Robert Windsor (Lee Kube), and Laurie Brooke Windsor; step-children Denise Wilson (Rick) and John L. Heath Jr. (Tammy); grandchildren, Windsor Western (Alex), Jessica Mather (Dennis), Dr. Kelsey Hanger (Ian Flanegan), Heath Wilson (Alexis), Abigail Heath, Wyatt Windsor, Eli Windsor, CarlyMae Buckner and Lily Buckner; great-grandchildren, Aubree Fisher, Eleanor Western, Genevieve Western, Jack Flanegan, Tucker Mather, and Grady Mather; her sisters, Glenda Buckner (Bruce) and Helen Bartlett (Jinx); and many family members and special friends.

The family would like to thank the CarePartners Hospice team for their compassionate care. We also would like to thank our family, friends and neighbors who wrote cards for her “wall of love,” visited, and reached out with prayers and love during her illness.

Receiving of Friends will be held from 6pm-8pm on Friday, June 5th at Groce Funeral Home (1401 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 28806). Funeral Service will be held at 10:00am on Saturday, June 6th at Groce Funeral Home (1401 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 28806). Burial Service will be held at 10:00am on Monday, June 8th at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Her services will be led by Reverend Bruce Buckner and Reverend Buddy Corbin.